How to sign out of ChatGPT on Mac: steps for the desktop app in 2026

This guide walks you through signing out of the ChatGPT desktop app on a Mac. It also covers the cases that trip people up: two apps with similar names, a Settings screen with more than one log-out option, and sign-in errors after you sign out. Read the first section before you click anything. It tells you which app you have open.

Check which ChatGPT app you are using

In July 2026, 9to5Mac reported that Codex is now part of the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS and Windows. The previous app is now called ChatGPT Classic. Daring Fireball reports that when both apps are installed, the new one is named ChatGPT and the old one ChatGPT Classic.

Look at the menu bar at the top of the screen to confirm the app name. The name shown next to the Apple menu belongs to the app in front of you. If you are not sure, quit both apps and open ChatGPT from Applications again.

The sources I could read do not say whether the two apps share one sign-in. Sign out in the app you use every day. Then open the other app, if you have it, and check whether your account still appears there.

Sign out from the sidebar on Mac

The most common route starts at the bottom of the left sidebar. Guideflow, a third-party tutorial site, describes clicking your account profile there and then choosing Log out from the account menu. Its page is about signing out of the current device, which is what you want when you share a Mac or leave one behind.

The tutorial does not say whether it was written for the Mac app or the website. Treat it as the starting point, then check each label against your screen. If the wording differs, look for Log out in the menu that opens above your profile. The steps in this guide follow that route.

Sign out from Settings with Security

Guideflow also describes a second method. Click your account profile, open Settings from the account menu, select Security in the settings sidebar, and then click the Log out button in the Security panel. The page was last updated March 2, 2026.

A reply in an OpenAI developer community thread, dated April 21, 2024, gives a different label for the same panel: Settings, Security, then Log out of all devices. That reply comes from a user, not from OpenAI. Use it as a clue about what to look for, not as proof that the label appears on your Mac today.

Sign out of every device at once

If you shared a Mac, borrowed one, or lost track of a laptop, the all-devices option matters more than the local one. It is the option that reaches the other places where you may still be signed in. The notes I could gather do not show the exact button text in the current Mac app, so read every button in the Security panel before you click.

Guideflow describes its Log out as a way to leave the current device. Pick the option that matches your situation. If you only want to leave this Mac, choose the local log-out. If you want to leave everything, choose the all-devices label and expect to sign in again on each device you use.

What signing out does not do

Signing out of the ChatGPT app is not the same as deleting your chats. Those are two separate tasks. If you want chats removed, use the delete steps in our guide to deleting one chat or all chats. Keep the two tasks apart in your head, and most of the confusion goes away.

Apple's Siri setting causes the other common mix-up. In System Settings > Siri > ChatGPT, the Use ChatGPT toggle turns ChatGPT off for Siri on your Mac. Apple's support page does not say that this signs you out of your ChatGPT account. Signing out of your Apple Account is a different action.

Common mistakes people make

• Looking for a keyboard shortcut. None of the sources I could read names a sign-out shortcut, so treat any list that names one as unverified.
• Turning off the Siri toggle and assuming you are signed out. The toggle affects Siri on the Mac, according to Apple's support page.
• Using Check for Updates in the old app and expecting the new app to appear. Daring Fireball reports that the old app installed only its latest classic version on three Macs it checked.
• Deleting the app before you sign out. Sign out first, then remove the app if you still want it gone.
• Skipping the Security panel on a shared Mac. The local log-out may leave other sessions open, so check there too.

Fix sign-in problems after you sign out

If you sign out and then cannot sign back in, you may see the message 'Something went wrong. Please make sure your device's date and time are set properly.' An OpenAI developer forum thread reports that message on Mac, tagged API.DeviceCheckError. The fixes in that thread are user reports, and OpenAI staff have not confirmed them.

UseMacApps suggests a short order of checks. Sign in again first. Then set the time and date automatically, turn off VPNs and proxies, and test with Private Relay off. If none of that works, try a phone hotspot. UseMacApps reports no confirmed fix for a persistent error on macOS Tahoe.

Shortcut conflicts after you sign back in

If Option+Space does nothing after you sign back in, another app may own that shortcut. UseMacApps says Google's Gemini app and Raycast both default to Option+Space. Check the other app first, then decide which one should keep the shortcut. Our Option+Space guide covers the steps.

In ChatGPT Settings, you can change the quick chat shortcut. UseMacApps also says to check Privacy & Security > Accessibility and to add ChatGPT under Login Items. Change one thing at a time, so you know which change fixed the problem.

Update or reinstall the app

Start with ChatGPT > Check for Updates. UseMacApps lists this as a first fix for crashes. Daring Fireball reports that on three Macs, Check for Updates in the old app installed only the latest classic version. Users without a classic copy have no obvious way to get one, so the update step may not help you.

If the app crashes or the new app is missing, UseMacApps suggests you force quit from the Apple menu and then reinstall from OpenAI. Before you reinstall, quit the app and move any folders named com.openai.codex or com.openai.chat from ~/Library/Application Support to your Desktop. Moving a folder keeps its contents, so you can put it back if the fix fails. One macOS 27.0.1 reporter said the crash came back after a reinstall and reset.

Requirements and versions

UseMacApps, a third-party site that sells its own Mac app, lists macOS 14 Sonoma or later. It also lists Apple silicon, M1 or better, and Intel Macs. It says an Intel build became public around September 2026. Those are user-reported claims, not OpenAI-confirmed facts.

Check your macOS version under Apple menu > About This Mac. I found no version number for either ChatGPT app, so write down the macOS version and the app name before you ask for help. That detail helps anyone who tries to answer your question.

What to do next

Once you are signed out, decide what should happen to your data on this Mac. If a chat should not stay, delete it using the delete a chat guide. If you want new chats kept out of your history, read the chat history guide first, because it explains the limits.

When you sign back in, start with the app you chose at the beginning. If sign-in fails, go back to the troubleshooting list and work down it. Change one thing at a time, so you know which fix helped and which one did not.